Thanks, Al, for taking time to answer my questions. I had actually forgotten I posted this drunken rambling yesterday. :-/

"I think Tony has become aware of the big harmony thing and wants to carry a lot of these songs on tour. So we didn't want it to be so overblown that we could not replicate to a good standard live. We are lucky to have Bob with such a strong voice he can carry the band alone but me an Tony always have to be aware of what our vocal duties will be live and don't want to have to compromise anything. Music or vocals. It`s got to be the very best we can do and nothing less"

Yeah, that was my guess too . . . because it would be hard to replicate in a live setting. No big thing, just my own thoughts, but to be honest, I don't feel it's necessary for the background vocals/harmonies to be 100% replicated live. I'm sure some people do though.

"The Ballad?"Putting things in Place" is the song of the album for me"

Yes, that's the one I'm talking about and the reason for me only calling it "the ballad" is that it's the only one on the album I'd call a ballad and there is always at least one on each album. Compared to all the other recent ballads this one is a monster. It's a fantastic song, and I'm usually no friend of ballads. :-)

"Thats OK, we do our best, but even after all these years we know we can still strive to be better"

Well, I should say that I haven't heard any album I would give 100% so far in my life (a whole other debate that's been brought to life on a few occasions here that I referred to), so please don't feel inadequate as it is one of the best albums I've heard in many many years. ;-)

"I don't really know how to answer that as it`s a personal point of view i feel"

The drums "issue" wasn't meant to be a question and of course it's just a matter of personal preference. It doesn't bother me that much either.

"Thats great you have taken the time to even write this out, we appreciate peoples feedback of course and all we can hope for is an album that you will enjoy and play for many years"

No problem, mate . . . and you can count on it!

"It`s seems to get harder each time trying to get everything just right, as they say everyones a critic these days and thats fine. We all have our opinions and ways of making them heard"

Not just these days. Back in the days we sat in our own homes discussed the same things but then it was just with our friends and not on a public forum. :-)

That was my initial point with this post and the questions directed at you. All of a sudden you hit the nail on the head and most, if not all, fans seem to be happy with what you've done here . . .. and I started to wonder how come, and why everything suddenly just fell in place (not just for me, obviously).

Guess it wasn't a conscious move or that you guys have done things differently this time, all the elements just fell in place at the same time anyway.

Again, thanks for taking the time to answer this somewhat drunken ramblings and congratulations to you and the guys for making yeat another classic. :-)